The present invention relates to a bonding structure of a valve seat and more particularly to structure and method for bonding the valve seat insert to a head by pressure welding such that the head physically secures the valve seat insert for forming the valve seat for an internal combustion engine.
In a general valve for an internal combustion engine, an annular valve seat insert is made of a sintered ferroalloy, and the intake and exhaust port openings of a cylinder head are made of an aluminum alloy. The valve seat insert is bonded to the cylinder head by heating and pressing the valve seat insert into a recess formed at each port opening.
In this heating and pressing process, the annular valve seat insert is required to be relatively thick to counter internal stress generated due to shrink. Therefore, bonding the valve seat insert by welding or others, which generates less internal stress, has been tried such that the valve seat insert becomes relatively thin. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-50823 discloses that the valve seat insert is bonded by friction welding, which applies an ultrasonic vibration. Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-296417 and No. 2000-263241 disclose that the valve seat insert is bonded by electric resistance welding.
By utilizing any way, since the cylinder head made of an aluminum alloy and the valve seat insert made of a sintered ferroalloy, which are different materials, are bonded, a weak intermetallic compound and an oxidized layer are produced at a transition region between the cylinder head and the valve seat insert, thus weakening the bonding strength therebetween. Therefore, to increase the bonding strength, the valve seat insert itself may contain a diffusible material, which is diffusible to an aluminum alloy, or may includes a layer of the diffusible material, or solder may be interposed between the cylinder head and the valve seat insert.
In the above-mentioned bonding structure of the valve seat bonded by friction welding or by electric resistance welding ensures degree of freedom to design, for example, thickness of the valve seat insert may be relatively thin. However, the structure does not completely retard the valve seat insert from falling out.
The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems traceable to the bonding strength between a head and a valve seat insert by improving a bonding structure such that the head physically secures the valve seat insert.
According to the present invention, a bonding structure of a valve seat has a port opening of a metallic head and an annular metallic valve seat insert. The valve seat insert includes an outer reduced diameter surface on its outer circumference. The material of the valve seat insert is harder than that of the head. The head plastically deforms upon pressing the valve seat insert toward the head. The deformed head occupies any gap around the outer reduced diameter surface.
The present invention also provides a method of making a valve seat. The method includes pressing a valve seat insert, which provides an outer reduced diameter surface, toward a head, rotating the valve seat insert while pressing the valve seat insert, and cooling the valve seat insert and the head.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.